Government takes on FTII rebels: High-level team heads to Pune as Centre accuses Rahul Gandi of derailing breakthrough talks

It's not clear how much Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi knows about the grand epic Mahabharata - he’s an “expert without knowledge” after all, as Arun Jaitley said - but his decision to take on Gajendra ‘Yudhisthira’ Chauhan has certainly made things messy at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.

Rahul’s interference in the FTII tussle has scuttled the possibility of an amicable settlement of the two month-old students’ protest, said top government sources.

The students have been protesting against the Union government’s decision to appoint Chauhan as the chairman of FTII governing council. The Congress vice-president added a political colour by targeting the Modi government over Chauhan’s appointment, and blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for promoting “mediocrity” at premier institutes of the country.

Rahul Gandhi, pictured at FTII on July 31, may have thought that backing the striking students would bring him political mileage

The Government claims Rahul’s interference in the FTII tussle has scuttled the possibility of an amicable settlement between the Institute and protesting students

Since that interjection, the stalemate is not showing any sign of ending, and on Tuesday several FTII students had to be arrested.

Intervention

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry, meanwhile, has decided to engage in a series of discussions with FTII students to convey the government’s message that it is willing to walk an extra mile to find solution to the two-month crisis at the institute.

FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe says he has been "tortured, threatened (and) pushed around" by students

A three-member delegation will head to Pune to address the students’ grievances, and is likely to offer solutions such as induction of mentors into FTII from the film world to inspire them.

While Rahul possibly tried to earn mileage by supporting a handful of FTII students, the government’s efforts for a breakthrough suffered.

In fact, the ministry of information and broadcasting was holding backchannel negotiations with the FTII students — who are protesting the appointment of TV actor Chauhan as head of the institute — through some well-known Bollywood personalities, but a section of the students scuttled the move after Rahul Gandhi’s appearance on the scene.

“We were holding back-channel negotiations with the students through some credible Bollywood faces. Many students saw reason in ending the strike and going back to their classes,” a top I&B ministry source, who did not wish to be named, told Mail Today.

“But Rahul Gandhi’s entry gave the whole issue a political turn. Some students scuttled the negotiations as they want to show the government down,” he said.

Rahul had attacked the RSS, alleging that it was systematically promoting “mediocrity” in various institutions.

Rejecting Rahul’s charge, the sources said the government was only trying to streamline the academic and financial management of FTII.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the two month-old tussle between the students and the government touched a low when the police arrested five of them, including female students, in a midnight swoop.

Rahul attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

“Protesting #FTII students arrested in #midnightcrackdown. Our students are not criminals Modiji.Silence.Suspend. Arrest:ModiMantra for AcheDin,” Rahul tweeted.

A video grab shows students surrounding Director Prashant Pathrabe, who is seen standing on a table. The incident took place on August 17.

Following Rahul’s visit to FTII, the students held a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar where the NSUI, the youth wing of the Congress, joined them.

While JD(U) leader KC Tyagi and Congress lawmaker Raj Babbar joined the protest, later on CPI-M leader Mohammad Salim, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla, CPI leader D Raja and NCP leader DP Tripathi released a joint statement expressing their support to the FTII students.

FTII director Prashant Pathrabe hit back saying the students had gheraoed his office and mentally tortured him over the assessments of the 2008 batch, which is yet to complete the projects.

Government sources said the students had been intimated about the coming assessments as early as April 2013 but they just want things to go on.

Delayed sessions

The sources also said besides delayed sessions of 2008 and 2009 batches, the institute hostels are being occupied by the students who want a status quo. This they said has not allowed the government to start the 2010 and 2014 courses.

They also cited various reports questioning the financial management of the institute.

“We want to make it to top 10 in the world. Things have to be streamlined,” said a ministry official.

I&B delegation to offer mentors

By Atir Khan in New Delhi

A three-member team, headed by SM Khan, the Registrar of Newspapers for India, director films and an under-secretary in the ministry, has been constituted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to assess the ground situation in FTII in Pune.

The team, comprising Khan and two other officers, will on Thursday visit FTII campus, where students are agitating over the appointment of actor Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman.

It will engage with the students and submit its report to the ministry on the prevailing situation. Sources said while there is no change in the government’s stand as far as appointment of Chauhan is concerned but it is willing to engage with the students in the larger interest of the institute.

It is committed to making FTII a centre for excellence for film making. The stand on Gajendra remains same but the government is open to inducting eminent mentors from the film industry to inspire the students.

The ministry’s view is that the institution is more important than a batch of forty agitating students. It believes that the students of 2008-09 batch have already been given a long rope and it’s about time they passed out from the institute and make way for other students.

Sources said it believes the batch is overstaying even after their studies are over. And they have been squatting despite several notices and reminders to them to vacate the campus even after their courses are over.

The students are resorting to unnecessary delaying of their projects. That’s why the institute is unable to accommodate fresh batch and start fresh courses.

The government has also noted that there have been several incidents of threatening of faculty, employees, late night parties and damage to property of the institute reportedly by the students.

Due to the prevailing crisis, the exam schedule has also gone haywire. The government has also observed that it sends funds to the institute for buying equipment but are returned unutilised.

Sources said 2008-2009 batch students have been assessed on ‘as is where is’ basis as per norms which the students are opposing. However the institute is likely to declare their results soon.

Until the results are declared the “squatting” students will not be able to vacate the campus, an official said.

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Government takes on FTII rebels: High-level team heads to Pune as Centre accuses Rahul Gandi of derailing breakthrough talks